1) Field of the Invention
An apparatus and method for application and accurate positioning of graphics on a surface is provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for application and accurate positioning of graphics and for accurate positioning of a graphics application device on a contoured surface is provided.
2) Description of Related Art
For various commercial products, it is desirable to apply colorful visual graphics through the application of a pigmented formulation to a surface to form an aesthetically pleasing image. The graphics may be applied to the surface by various known methods, including applying a paint material to the surface by means of a brush or a spray. Other known methods may be used that do not use painting processes. Such methods may include adhering to a surface an applique or decal having the desired graphics or images formed thereon.
The foregoing known methods have been used to apply visual graphics to an exterior portion of an aircraft. For example, graphic images may be applied to fuselage, tail, rudder, and wing surfaces of an aircraft for decorative and/or functional purposes. However, complex graphics application to an exterior aircraft surface is often a slow and costly process. Since the graphics and images are often large and detailed, skilled personnel are required to paint or adhere the graphics or images to an exterior surface of the aircraft, which increases the production cost of the aircraft due to the additional labor cost associated with painting or adhering the graphics or images.
Known methods of painting are limited in the intricacy and complexity of the graphics and images that are practical to apply. For example, a difficulty with known methods of painting is producing photo-realistic images on aircraft. In addition, another difficulty with known methods of painting is that the application and drying is time consuming. Paint layers are generally successively applied to the surface of the aircraft and a time consuming drying period is required between successive paint applications, thus increasing the production time for the aircraft. Moreover, the application of decorative color layers of paint often requires the application of paint masking devices, such as tape or stencils, between successive applications of the layers, which requires more time and labor. It may take hours to apply the masking device depending on the square footage area of the aircraft to be covered. The paint is then applied and depending on the process, at some point after applying the paint, the masking device must be removed. When the paint is sufficiently dry, it may be necessary to go back over the painted image to re-mask it for another color. In addition, a difficulty with spray application devices for paint is that they may only apply a single color portion of the image, and the spray application device must be cleaned several times before the image is complete, thus requiring increased time and labor. Finally, the graphics or images applied with known methods of painting may have surface irregularities which can cause additional surface drag on the aircraft when it is in flight, thus resulting in increased fuel consumption by the aircraft.
Known methods for adhering appliques or decals having the desired graphics or images formed thereon to a surface of an aircraft can also pose problems. Decals are typically applied to the exterior surface of an aircraft with pressure-sensitive adhesives which are inherently weaker than cured (cross-linked) paint. Moreover, appliques and decals are susceptible to premature degradation through prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation that results in fading and/or discoloration of the graphics or images. In addition, appliques and decals may partially detach from the aircraft surface, particularly along exposed edges of the appliques or decals, thus increasing the maintenance costs for the aircraft.
Known methods and systems for positioning graphics or images on surfaces, as well as positioning graphics devices on surfaces, are also known. However, such methods and systems have curvature constraints with respect to positioning the graphics and/or graphics devices on various types of highly contoured or curved surfaces, and they have limitations with the proportion or amount of a curved surface, such as an aircraft surface, on which the graphics and/or graphics devices can be accurately positioned and applied. Moreover, they are limited in the maximum square footage area to which graphics may be applied before they must be repositioned on the surface receiving the graphics. In addition, typical methods of positioning a system for this purpose can require the use of additional machinery such as a five axis machine.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for application and accurate positioning of graphics and a graphics positioning device on a surface that does not have the problems associated with known devices and methods.